Fellow Firebirds and Friends of Firebirds Collective,
It is with a heavy heart that I share news that we have lost a near and dear member of our Firebirds Collective framily*. Last night, Bob Blakely passed away.
As a multicultural community, many of us will grieve in different ways. As a club, we will be changing the Firebirds Collective logo online to black and white in observance of his passing for 40 days. At the next club meeting, we will observe a minute of silence in his memory and there will be an opportunity after the meeting for people to share any stories.
Bob has given so much to our community and I want to be certain that you know, he also got a lot from you as well. One of the things that delighted him about Firebirds Collective was that he was once again able to connect with Toastmasters actively. The big bonus was, in his words, that he had friends all over the world.
I leave you with this quote from Albert Einstein
And yet we should not grieve for those who have gone from us in the primes of their lives after happy and fruitful years of activity, and who have been privileged to accomplish in full measure their task in life.
Something there is that can refresh and revivify older people: joy in the activities of the younger generation
At your service,
Samir Malak, DTM
Firebirds Collective, President
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* framily - a term used to denote the friends and family club culture at Firebirds Collective in a speech by Amy Brener, DTM at
club meeting on 18 June 2017